Interpol arrests over 1,000 cybercrime suspects in Africa

Interpol has successfully apprehended 1,006 suspects in Africa as part of a sweeping cybercrime operation. The crackdown targeted criminal networks responsible for defrauding approximately 35,000 victims worldwide, causing financial losses exceeding $192 million, according to the Associated Press.

The arrests followed a two-month investigation, codenamed “Operation Serengeti”, conducted in collaboration with Afripol, the African Union’s police agency. Spanning 19 African nations, the operation tackled a broad spectrum of cybercrimes.

“From multi-level marketing scams to large-scale credit card fraud, the growing scale and sophistication of cybercrime attacks remain a pressing global concern,” stated Valdecy Urquiza, Secretary General of Interpol.

The operation primarily focused on dismantling networks involved in ransomware, business email compromise, digital extortion, and online scams. Interpol noted this as a significant achievement, given the contrast with only 25 cybercrime-related arrests across the continent in the previous two years.

“This operation underscores significant progress, with participating nations enhancing their intelligence-sharing capabilities and producing tangible results,” said Enrique Hernandez Gonzalez, Interpol’s Assistant Director of Cybercrime Operations told the AP.